


Five Steady Beats

by SummerSetHaley



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, F/F, Mentions of Weiss and Ruby, Mentions of canon events, One Shot, Romance, Some angst, Some other character mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 13:22:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18344534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerSetHaley/pseuds/SummerSetHaley
Summary: This is a one shot of several nights where Blake falls asleep or simply falls in the arms of Yang, starting in the first weeks of their first year at Beacon and ending with the end of Volume 6.  Some angst, but mostly fluff.





	Five Steady Beats

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't really sure about the tags, so please let me know if I need to add any or if you have any concerns. I'm fairly certain everything here is safe, but I just want to be sure!

The first night, Blake didn’t expect it. It had only been a couple weeks since Beacon initiation. She wasn’t too acquainted with her teammates despite all their young leader’s team bonding exercises. And even then, she was setting hard boundaries with them. They didn’t know she was a faunus, after all.

But then came the nightmares. They had been haunting her since she left her partner that fateful day on the train. But he wasn’t really all that far in the past, looming at the edge of her vision, the slice of a burning red sword when she closed her eyes. She felt him creeping up on her shadow, with all of his conviction and possessive fury. He would give her that same leering smirk he gave the humans before another one of his “accidents” occurred. Before he punished her as he punished those he found guilty of scorning him, scarring him.

It took all of Blake’s might not to wake up screaming. Instead, she muffled her cries and wiped her tears on her blanket, woefully hoping to not awaken her teammates. She didn’t want to bother them with her choices nor alert them to her faunus heritage and her bloodied ties to the White Fang.

But her fears of being discovered were only confirmed one night when the mattress above her shifted and a curtain of blonde hair spilled over the bunk, hesitant purple eyes hovering upside down.

“Blake?” Her boisterous new partner was uncharacteristically soft, unsure.

Blake peeked up at her timidly from underneath her covers. The blonde slowly lowered herself a little more, still upside down, her long waves cascading down, nearly touching Blake’s own bed. The cat faunus was able to make out the concerned lines of her partner’s face clearly in the dark room, thanks to her ability to see in the dark. Her expression was unbearably soft and uncertain.

“Are you alright?” She whispered, “I hea--I mean, you’re kind of shaking the bunk.”

Blake stifled a whimper and closed her eyes. Her heart hammered as she saw another slice of red, another splatter of “accidental” blood, spilling guilt onto her hands and seeping into her bones. She knew Yang only meant well, that Yang was kind. Despite her loud exclamations and flamboyantly outgoing personality, the blonde had proven to be gentle and sweet, especially when it came to her younger sister. Blake had watched it firsthand. It was her reasoning for picking Yang as her partner in the forest. That, and she had proven to be combatively competent.

“Blake? I won’t be able to go back to sleep if I don’t know if you are okay.”

Blake took a deep, semi-shaky breath as she tried to control her heavy chest, tried to control the tremors in her limbs, and tried to control the tears that threatened to spill over again. Her voice trembled as she said, meekly, “I’m f-f-fine.”

And all at once, she was completely surrounded by vibrant yellow as Yang swung down, her mattress dipping under the weight. Yang lay above her blanket, her hand coming up slowly, stopping mid-way, as if to comfort but not sure. Blake’s eyes widened. She was shocked that Yang had barely made a sound in her descent, that her other two teammates were safely snoring in the background, that the girl was suddenly before her with a heartbroken expression, all apprehensive and troubled.

“I’m sorry,” Yang murmured, her eyes round, her brow furrowed in worry, “I just--you’re not okay.”

Blake stared, dumbstruck. She didn’t know what to do with the creature before her. She was an enigma to the cat faunus in this moment. How did she proceed--what should she say? She did not and would not involve her new partner with her troubles. She had to set _boundaries_.

The blonde sighed. She adjusted herself so that she was laying fully beside Blake but not touching her. If Blake was in her right mind, she would have been irked by Yang’s easy closeness. But she was far beyond sanity. She was terrified for a number of reasons, hiding beneath her blanket like she did when she was young, a little girl scared of thunder and lightning, her mother stroking her hair in the humidity of a Menagerie night.

Yang brought her back to the reality of her situation when she spoke again. She said, in a hushed tone, “Blake, listen to me. You don’t need to tell me anything you don’t want to… But, we are partners now. And that means we have to take care of each other and make sure we are both okay, no matter what. On and off of combat.”

There was a pause. Then, she continued in that same soft and quiet voice, “Ruby used to have night terrors when she was little. I used to take care of her. I want to--can I help you?”

“H-how?” Blake was surprised by her own quiet response. She was starting to feel numb, cold, slipping away as her trembling worsened.

Yang outstretched her arms, holding them wide. She spoke, confident and warm, smooth as hot chocolate, and just so damned soft.

“ _Let me hold you_.”

Wide-eyed and awestruck, Blake nearly short-circuited. Even so, Yang had assured her that she didn’t need to tell her anything. No explanations, but they were partners. There was a trust there, a line struck. Boundaries where she needed them and _blurred lines_ where she really _needed_ them, on a deeper level.

She felt herself nod, slowly. Yang’s smile was small, reassuring. She carefully shuffled forward and placed her lanky limbs around Blake’s curled up form. She stayed above the blanket, giving Blake a semblance of personal space, a blockade that she wasn’t sure she wanted anymore, especially with Yang’s warmth seeping through the sheets.

“Close your eyes,” the blonde whispered into her bangs, just below Blake’s bow, “And focus on breathing. Lay your head on my chest and count the heartbeats.”

Blake leaned forward, compliant. Her dignity was beyond gone at this point, so she had nothing left to lose. Her cheek pressed against the blonde’s pajama shirt, her human ear flush to the heart of a burning fire.

_Thump, thump, thump_.

One, two, three.

The cat faunus’ breath drummed to the beat of Yang’s heart. Her thoughts synchronized with an idle count of seconds, and the cold beneath her skin bubbled with the surrounding hearth of her new partner. She hadn’t realized she had stopped shaking. She was too focused on the steady heartbeat against her head and the strong arms around her, slowly stroking her hair, like her mother used to.

_Thump, thump, thump_.

Four, five, six.

* * *

The second night wasn’t as much of a surprise. It was almost welcomed after the stress of the prior events. Blake’s teammates had discovered she was a faunus, resulting in her running away. Again. And then there was Sun, and Torchwick, and the White Fang, and--

“Are you okay?”

Blake looked up to her partner, no longer new, definitely welcomed. She was on the roof of their dorm, her back pressed against the cool shingles, the shattered moon drifting above her exposed ears, a breeze lightly tickling their fur. Yang stood above her, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, an act the blonde usually did when she was feeling bashful or unsure.

“I can go away,” she rambled, biting her lip, looking down, “If you want to be alone, that is.”

“Yang, I--” Blake stopped the apology before it left her lips. She had tried to apologize to Weiss, only to be cut off. Somehow, an apology didn’t seem appropriate here either. Instead, she affirmed, “Stay.”

Yang flashed her legendary thousand watt smile. She jumped down, spreading her legs out, sprawling next to the cat faunus. Her arms folded beneath her head, propping herself up, her crazy mane splattering the shingles like sun rays.

_She’s so damn beautiful_ , Blake thought.

_She’s also talking_.

“--I guess, what I’m trying to say is,” the blonde was explaining, smiling shyly at the stars above, “I understand why you didn’t say anything, especially with Weiss being a Schnee and people like Cardin. But, I still can’t help… Did you think I would honestly be bothered by having a faunus partner?”

The blonde leaned over, smile gone. Something else had replaced her features. She was anxious, Blake realized. She was doubtful. She was scared. She was worried Blake thought she wasn’t a suitable partner, a partner worth trusting, a partner that wasn’t cruel and judging.

“No, that’s--” Blake started, sitting up slightly, “That’s not… I know you’re not like that.”

Her ears stood straight and she watched as Yang tracked the movement in awe. Was that fondness in her expression or was Blake imagining things?

“They suit you,” Yang murmured, “They’re a part of you. You wouldn’t be you without them. And… we’re partners. I… I want to know you, Blake, _all of you_.”

Blake sucked in a breath. She didn’t know what to say. All of her barriers, her boundaries, her walls--they were cracking from the foundation up over the last few months with her teammates, but they were bulldozered completely with that single statement, in that one moment. Yang was so much more than she ever imagined.

“Can I?” The cat faunus leaned forward, second-guessing herself. The blonde didn’t say anything. She opened her arms wide and Blake placed her head on her chest, all ears listening intently as Yang folded around her, a safety net she didn’t know she was searching for all this time.

_Thump, thump, thump_.

Seven, eight, nine.

* * *

The third night was shorter. It was so much more than welcomed. Blake was worn out. It was the sort of exhaustion that only too much social interaction brought her, being naturally introverted.

She had gained a piece of her mysteriously open-but-closed blonde partner. She had peeked into the red that bubbled beneath the calming purple during their conversation in the classroom. But that was yesterday, and this night was new. They danced. Familiar arms twirled her around a ballroom only to hand her off to an equally friendly blond afterwards. And then she danced, and talked, and laughed. Only to tire and soon retire back to the dorms.

Yang was the only one there, in pajamas and lounging across the top bunk, flipping through the pages of a magazine. Their young leader Ruby had gotten into some trouble at Beacon tower, and Weiss had wandered off with Sun’s blue-haired partner.

“You came back sooner than I thought you would,” Blake noted as she changed out of her dress.

Yang glanced over only to look away quickly, a light blush coloring her cheeks. She was uncharacteristically quiet. It was also unusual that Yang hadn’t stayed until the very last dance, typically the life of the party.

“Everything alright?” The cat faunus raised an eyebrow cautiously. She had always known there was more beneath the surface with her partner, but it had only been confirmed in the last few days. There were many layers to Yang Xiao Long.

The blonde looked down at Blake only when the dark-haired girl was fully covered in her night robe. She smiled warmly and reassured, “I’m fine, just tired after all of that party-planning with Weiss. And, you know, all that dancing.”

_But I didn’t see you dance with anyone but me_ , Blake thought.

“Did you have a good time?”

When Blake looked at Yang, she was surprised to see such a serious expression matched with that question. Yang was… measuring the faunus’ reaction.

“Yeah. Yeah, I did,” she answered confidently, hoping to get it right by being open and honest, for once.

The thousand watt smile was back. Blake felt her face warm beneath it’s glow. Yang subsequently flopped her magazine on the floor, leaned back, and opened up her arms, wide. Blake barely hesitated as she leaped into the top bunk smoothly and curled up in the now familiar position.

_Thump, thump, thump_.

Ten, eleven, twelve.

* * *

The fourth night was not ideal, unwanted. It was horrific, haunting Blake’s dreams to this day, forging new nightmares to re-play to her closed eyelids. Instead of entering Yang’s warm embrace, instead of falling asleep to steady blood thumping, instead of everything Blake had grown accustomed to, Blake had found the blonde in her arms.

And there was blood _everywhere_.

Warmth was forgotten as Yang paled beneath her fingertips. Her arm, it was… It was all her fault.

“I’m sorry,” Blake cried, “I’m so sorry.”

_Thump… thump… thump_.

Thirteen… Fourteen…

* * *

The fifth night was unreal, but it wasn’t unexpected. It wasn’t even welcomed. No, it was _desired_. Blake never would have dreamt such a night would occur, but it did, it was.

After everything, the cat faunus was exhausted. The past year had avalanched into an abrupt halt, weighing down on her shoulders with an impossible gravity.

Menagerie, Haven, Brunswick Farms, Argus, and now Atlas. They had barely made it alive. She, herself, had barely made it alive, especially in the last 24 hours.

And then there was _Yang_.

" _I won’t break my promise_."

" _I know you won't_."

Blake shuddered. She didn’t know if she was shaking from the cold, from the blood on her blade, from the crunch of a rib cage snapping, or from the blonde’s scent wafting up into her nostrils from the leather jacket draped around her shoulders.  But it didn't matter.  Yang's arms wrapped around her in seconds, more than a safety net, more than a comforting friend.

The blonde didn't need to ask if Blake was okay.  They were beyond that now, their questions and answers communicated through touch and just  _knowing_.  Distance, time, pain, and choice had nearly torn them apart for good, but, against all odds, they had transcended what was once 'normal' for partners and friends.

No, this was something else.  It was there, in the soft swirls of Yang's thumb on her shoulder, in the warm light of those purple eyes, and in the slight curl of those lush, perfectly-shaped lips.  And it was definitely there in the hushed tone of the blonde as she mumbled, shy.

" _Baby_."

And it was solidified, there, where their lips brushed lightly, just to say,  _I'm here, you're here, we're home_.

Blake leaned down and laid her ears against her favorite sound, listening to the song of her blood, the beat of her drum, the rhythm of her soul.

_Thump, thump, thump_.


End file.
